Tarong Power Station
| Tarong Power Station | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Tarong, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 26°46′52″S 151°54′54″E / 26.78111°S 151.91500°ECoordinates: 26°46′52″S 151°54′54″E / 26.78111°S 151.91500°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1979 |
| Commission date |
1 Unit: May 1984 2 Unit: May 1985 3 Unit: February 1986 4 Unit: November 1986 |
| Construction cost | A$1.23 billion |
| Owner(s) | Stanwell Corporation |
| Power station | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal |
| Generation units | 4 x 350 MW |
| Turbine manufacturer(s) | Hitachi |
| Power generation | |
| Installed capacity | 1400 MW |
| Website www.stanwell.com/tarong-power-station.aspx | |
The Tarong Power Station is a coal fired power station located on a 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) site near the Burnett River and Nanango, in Queensland, Australia. The station has a maximum generating capacity of 1,400 megawatts, generated from four turbines.
Coal is supplied via a conveyor from Meandu Mine, which is 1.5 km away, which is also owned by Stanwell Corporation Limited.
Construction and design
It was decided to build a new power station at Tarong in 1978, with work beginning in the following year.[1] Initially it was expecting to be operating by October 1985 but this date was bought forward by 17 months to cover the expected growth in demand. 1 Unit was commissioned in May 1984, with 2 Unit following exactly 12 months later. 3 Unit was commissioned in February 1986, and finally 4 Unit was commissioned just 9 months later in November 1986. Thus the accelerated construction program included bringing forward the dates but also compressing the timeline.
The design included Queensland's first hyperbolic natural draught cooling towers which rise to 118 m. The power station has one chimney which is 20 m in diameter and rises 210 m.[1] There are two control rooms. The total construction cost including water supply facilities was A$1,230 million.
Emissions
The power station is the site for a pilot project which is expected to reduce emissions by 1,000 tonnes per year by collected carbon dioxide from flue gases.[2] The project will cost A$5 million and is being developed by CSIRO.
A second trial to capture greenhouse gas emissions is being conducted by MBD Energy. The technology being trialled collects carbon dioxide and pumps it into waste water where it synthesises oil-rich algae into edible seaweed products or oils.[3]
Demand reduction
In October 2012, Stanwell announced plans to shut down two generating units for two years.[4] The scaling down of operations will result in the loss of employment for 60 skilled workers.
See also
- Fossil fuel power plant
- Stanwell Power Station
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dunn, Col (1985). The History of Electricity in Queensland. Bundaberg: Col Dunn. pp. 169–170. ISBN 0-9589229-0-X.
- ↑ Sophie Benjamin (3 December 2010). "Tarong Energy and CSIRO launch carbon capture plant". ABC Southern Queensland (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ↑ Tracy Lee (1 August 2011). "Carbon-capture support spurs MBD's $100m IPO". The Australian (News Limited). Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ↑ "Jobs go as Tarong power station winds back". Brisbane Times (Fairfax Media). 11 October 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
External links
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